Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath today announced special permission had been given to Joanne “Jo” Grant and Jill Kindt because Ms Grant was battling terminal cancer, which she has since died from.

The couple were married on December 15, just a week after Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove signed off on the Marriage Amendment — the last step to making same sex marriage legal in Australia before a 30-day waiting period for couples to tie the knot.

“At the time, it was not the couple’s wish to tell their story. But all involved now want the world to know,” Ms D’Ath said in Queensland Parliament today.

“This is ultimately a love story of the deep bond between Jo and Jill, and the will of the Australian people to legally recognise that bond.

“The marriage ceremony took place in the couple’s beautiful Coolum Beach garden, as their family and friends watched on, a community of strangers pulling together to make this marriage happen in time.”

Ms Grant, who worked at various schools in Central Queensland and the Sunshine Coast, died on January 30, just five weeks after the wedding.

Her wife and parents were in Parliament for today’s statement.

Sunshine Coast wedding celebrant “Kari” married the two.

“It was an emotional moment when I read out the words of the new act; a privilege, an honour, and about time,” Kari wrote about the wedding in an online blog.

“A sacred moment on a sacred day.”

Kari had received a phone call from Cittamani palliative care at Palmwoods, telling her of Jo “who wished to finally legally marry her beloved Jill”.

“It was Jo’s persistence that had kept the idea alive,” Kari said, saying Jill was unsure it could be achieved after reading about the one-month waiting period after the laws were passed.

The changes came into effect on December 9, with the first weddings able to take place from January 9.

Kari said she was aware that under exceptional circumstances and exemption could be granted by the Registrar. And she made it happen — within two days of meeting them.

“Witnessing Jill and Jo together was a love story, quite convincingly profound,” she wrote in her blog.

“I was taken with the dozens of photos on the wall from their 2013 commitment ceremony — a day of promise, filled with family and friends ... I realised I had met two amazingly beautiful women, with a deep connection and strong commitment to each other.”

The Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages offered a free registered marriage certificate immediately so the couple didn’t have to wait the usual weeks-long time frame.

Kari said the wedding was “divine”.

“A garden lovingly created by Jo and Jill as a shared passion, provided the perfect setting for a wedding; beds of herbs, flowers, rock seats and wooden doorways,” she said.

Kari said Jo’s mother had described her daughter’s wedding day as the happiest of her life.

A funeral notice appeared in the paper for Jo on February 2.

Ms Grant was a teacher and taught in various areas throughout her career, including in the Biloela area in Central Queensland in the mid-1990s.

She last worked as Head of Special Education Services at Meridian State College in Meridian Plains, near Caloundra.

The Meridan State College principal said Ms Grant had been Head of Special Education Services at the college since 2013, but had been on leave for the past two and a half years while she battled her illness.

“Jo was loved and respected by all who knew her and her loss was deeply felt by our staff, the many students whose lives she touched and the families she supported,” she said.

“She was a talented educator, a valued staff member and a true professional in every way.”

Ms Kindt was a deputy principal at Kuluin State School, near Maroochydore, until the end of 2016, according to school newsletters.

Ms Grant was repeatedly described as a “great teacher” by former students, colleagues and basketball teammates in a Facebook post from her time in Central Queensland.

“Such an encouraging teacher and always strived to get the best out of you — So sad and condolences to the family,” Kelly Johnson wrote.

Jennifer Hall added her condolences, saying that “Jo was a great teacher and a wag of a work colleague.”

Jacqui Duncan agreed, writing: “She was a great teacher who has positively touched many lives. Condolences to her family and friends.”

An Education Queensland spokesman said the department always provided “The relevant support to affected school communities in light of tragedies such as staff or students passing away.”